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1860 United States Census

Background: The United States Census of 1860 was the eighth decennial census conducted in the United States under authority granted by Article I, Section 2 of the United States Constitution. It is based on actual counts of persons living in residential structures. Censuses from 1790 through 1870 were managed by the federal judiciary, not the executive branch. Beginning in 1850, all members of a household were named in the census; previously only the head of a household was named, while others in the household were merely counted. The 1860 Census was the last to count slaves. The official date of the 1860 Census is June 1, 1860.

Summary: The 1860 Census determined the population of the United States to be 31,443,321. This is an increase of more than 35 percent over the 1850 Census, which reported a population of 23,191,876. The 1860 total included 3,953,760 slaves.

Data Collected: The 1860 Census collected the following information:

name
address
age
gender
color (white/black/mulatto)
deaf/blind/insane/idiotic
value of real and personal property (required of free persons only)
profession, occupation, or trade (if over 15 years of age)
state, territory, or country of birth
married within the year
attended school within the year
unable to read or write (if over 20 years of age)
pauper or convict?

WorldVitalRecords.com offers searchable indexes of 1860 Census data, linking to digitized images of census rolls at Footnote.com.

Also at WorldVitalRecords.com: A wide variety of other US census data is available at WorldVitalRecords.com.

United States Census Bureau / Footnote.com